February 2015 Newsletter Happy St. Patricks Day
ACCESS in February!
Inside Newsletter Editor: Anne Craig Send your input to editaccess@gmail. com by the 20th of every month
Editor’s Note Letter from the Executive Director February Chinese New Year Bertha Van Suttner 6 things you didn’t know about… Departmental News Departmental Vacancies Volunteer of the Month Volunteer Feature Your Fellow Volunteers What’s on in February
We’d love to hear from you in the next newsletter – do send us your contributions! 1 ACCESS for & by volunteers February 2015
ACCESS Departments Executive Director Deborah Valentine access.executivedirector@gmail.com
Office Manager Qin Cai manager@access-nl.org
Cancerlink Aine Campbell ainecamp@hotmail.com
CSN Counseling Services Network Brenda Couture csn@access-nl.org
CSD Computer Services John Pellet csd@access-nl.org
CEB Baby Courses Bintou Keita (Den Haag/Rotterdam) Maria Krawcyk (Amsterdam/Utrecht) ceb@access-nl.org
CED Community Education Interim Manager – Tejashri Khadilkar ced@acces-nl.org
Communications Christopher an-Traumer communications@access-nl.org
E-Zine Editor Acting Editor-Deborah Valentine editor@access-nl.org
Volunteers’ Newsletter Editor Anne Craig editaccess@gmail.com
ACCESS Guides Madhavi Mistry-Ajgaonkar access.guides.coordinator@gmail.com
Web Co-Editors Laila Borrie / Arto Salojarvi webeditor@access-nl.com
Social Media Matt Rees socialmedia@access-nl.org
Finance David Sanders fin@access-nl.org
THD Helpdesk Manager Magdalini Zografou thd@access-nl.org
THD LVM Coordinator Antonio Gutierrez guti.antonio@hotmail.fr
THD Training Coordinator Nuria Garcia Saorin training.thd@gmail.com
THD THIC Coordinator Annelies Ras annelies.ras@denhaag.nl
“Welcome to The Hague” Project Coordinator Aldo Rodriguez welcome@access-nl.org
IRD Heiner Pierenkemper ird@access-nl.org
VRD Volunteer Resources Co-Managers Neha Khanna / John Fields vrd@access-nl.org
Relationship Management Team Thais Pagani fnd@access-nl.org
PR/Marketing - Event Management Roy Lie prd@access-nl.org
Community Liaison Officer Madhavi Mistry-Ajgaonkar Community.liaison@access-nl.org
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Editor’s Note
Dear All, There was I thinking that February was going to be a rather dark and dull month, but as I started to put this newsletter together I realized how wrong I was with Valentine’s Day, Carnaval and Chinese New Year filling the month with colour, life and love! I always prefer to work on the newsletter here in the ACCESS offices at 70, Laan van Meerdvoort. From now on I shall refer to this building by its proper name – the Bertha Van Suttner building. I had never heard of Bertha before David Standing (see his article) mentioned her to me but what a woman! We should all be proud to work in a place named after such a campaigner for peace. A big advantage of working on the newsletter here is that I can ask people directly to write something for the newsletter. Thank you so much to Renata and Zhuoling who said ‘yes’ to me at such short notice. Happy Reading Anne
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Letter from the Executive Director
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February
Events in February Black History Month (United States and Canada) LGBT History Month (United Kingdom) National Bird-Feeding Month (United States) Super Bowl: First Sunday of February (United States) World Marriage Day: Second Sunday of February Presidents Day: Third Monday of February (United States) Landsegen: February 1 (according to traditions that use the solar calendar, traditions using the lunar calendar may place this holiday later in February) St Brigid’s Day / Imbolc: February 1 (Ireland) Groundhog Day: February 2 (United States and Canada) Candlemas: February 2 Independence of Sri Lanka: February 4 1917 Constitution of Mexico: February 5 Waitangi Day: February 6 (New Zealand) Slovenian Cultural Holiday: February 8 National Foundation Day in Japan: February 11 Abraham Lincoln's birthday: February 12 (United States) Valentine's Day: February 14 Serbia's National Day : February 15 Flag Day of Canada: February 15 Carnaval: February 15 - 17 Chinese New Year: February 19 International Mother Language Day: February 21 Independence Day in Saint Lucia: February 22 George Washington's birthday: February 22 (United States) Flag Day of Mexico: February 24 Independence Day in Estonia: February 24 People Power Revolution (Philippines): February 25 Liberation Day (Kuwait): February 26 Dominican Republic Independence: February 27 Leap Day: February 29 (Every four years, with some exceptions) National Day of the Sun (in Argentina) National Wear Red Day (in the US and the UK) Family Day (Canada) (on the third Monday in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan) The Roman month Februarius was named after the Latin term februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 (full moon) in the old lunar Roman calendar. Historical names for February include the Old English terms Solmonath (mud month) and Kale-monath (named for cabbage) as well as Charlemagne's designation Hornung. In Finnish, the month is called helmikuu, meaning "month of the pearl"; when snow melts on tree branches, it forms droplets, and as these freeze again, they are like pearls of ice. In Polish and Ukrainian, respectively, the month is called luty or лютий, meaning the month of ice or hard frost. In Macedonian the month is sechko (сечко), meaning month of cutting [wood]. In Czech, it is called únor, meaning month of submerging [of river ice]. Croatians call the month veljača, whose meaning is unknown but may come from the word for "greater," a possible reference to the days increasing in length.
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February
Carnival - Carnaval Carnival or Carnaval is originally an European Pagan spring festival, with an emphasis on role-reversal and suspension of social norms. The feast became assimilated by the catholic church and was celebrated in the three days preceding ash wednesday and lent. From an anthropological point of view Carnaval is a reversal ritual, in which social roles are reversed and norms about desired behavior are suspended. Winter was thought of as the reign of the winter spirits that were to be driven out for the summer to return. Carnaval can thus be regarded as a rite of passage from darkness to light, from winter to summer: a fertility celebration, the first spring festival of the New Year. In modern times the connection with religion has disappeared, though its date is still set before the start of the christian feast of lent. Also the core of the modern carnaval has retained its socially critical function by role reversal and temporary abandonment of social norms. The first day of carnaval is six weeks before Easter Sunday. The carnaval officially begins on Sunday and lasts three days. In many places, large carnaval parades are held with large floats, organized and created by the carnaval associations. The parades have usual a particular theme whereby authorities are ridiculed, events of the past year are represented and which are often politically incorrect and used to make people think outside the box or function as a mirror to the society. Also groups or individuals on foot will participate and fill the gaps between the carnaval wagons during the parade. Fanfares and marching bands will provide for typical carnaval music. The floats are build by carnaval associations, but also often by independent groups of friends, families, neighbourhoods or other clubs. A massive ship-looking wagon is shown in every carnaval parade which is manned by the prince, his entourage and the council of eleven of the city it is held, or of the carnaval association that organized the parade and is usually the last float at the parade. Carnaval parades often start at 11.11 am and end early in the afternoon. Some will start in the afternoon to give participants the opportunity to join several parades a day and to give the public and participants the opportunity to be somewhat more sober / less hungover after the drinking of the day before. Usually a competition will be held to choose the most outstanding contribution to the parade with separate categories for floats, groups on foot and individual participants. Although a procession usually takes from a starting point to a point of arrival, it actually roams from nowhere to nowhere. What only matters is the social binding during the parade. Along the route, the crowd forms a very essential part of the parade. The crowd is not just spectator, they form living dikes along the carnaval river without which the parade would loose meaning. In Holland, carnival is a holiday mainly celebrated in the south of the country. The provinces Limburg and NoordBrabant are the predominantly Catholic provinces of the Netherlands, where most inhabitants celebrate Carnival. Though some people take the Carnival traditions very seriously, most people keep it simple and just drink, sing and dance wearing a colourful outfit. The Carnival celebrations start after the mayor symbolically hands over the key to the city to Prince Carnival. For three days, the Carnival Prince has control of the city and, together with his subjects, celebrates the temporary establishment of their Kingdom of Fools. Merrymakers make their way from pub to pub and greet Prince Carnival with three cheers of “Alaaf”.
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February
Chinese New Year Chinese New Year follows the lunar calendar and is the most important celebration for ethnic Chinese communities all around the world. The celebrations begin on the last day of December of the Chinese calendar, called “Chu Xi” in Mandarin Chinese, which is usually a time of feasting with family and friends. On the first day of January of the Chinese calendar, called “Yuan Dan”, seniors and parents give kids a red envelope with money inside, called “Li Shi”, referred to best wishes for the coming year. The celebrations th normally last for half month until 15 January in the lunar calendar, called “The Lantern Festival”. The musteat during this festival is Yuanxiao, glutinous rice balls typically filled with sweet red bean paste, sesame paste, or peanut butter. The Chinese people believe that the round shape of the balls and the bowls in which they are served symbolize family togetherness, and that eating Yuanxiao may bring the family happiness and good luck in the New Year. Calendar of 2015 the year of Sheep /Goat: New Year’s Eve (Chu Xi): 18 Feb, 2015 New Year’s Day (Yuan Dan): 19 Feb, 2015 The Lantern Festival: 5 Mar, 2015 Celebrations in Chinatown The Hague You may feel surprised that, in the Netherlands, the largest Chinatown is located in the city centre of The Hague. Behind the two Chinese gates on the Wagenstraat, you can find Chinese groceries, hairdressers, acupuncturists, furniture shops, and also, the best Chinese food in the area. In Chinatown The Hague you can expect lots of fun during Chinese New Year. On 21 Feb, 2015, a rich variety of celebrations will take place in the City Hall and Chinatown, such as Dragon-and-Lions Dances, gala performances, ceremony and drum shows, Asian food courts, Eastern market, etc. For more information, please visit the website of The Hague: http://denhaag.com/en/event/19976/chinese-new-year-festival?eventId=19979 Celebrations in Amsterdam Chinatown Unlike the Chinatown The Hague, Amsterdam Chinatown does not have the icon of Chinese gate. However, it consists of a number of city blocks crammed with Asian markets, restaurants and shops just right beside the market square of Nieuwmarkt. There you will also find a very impressive building with brightly coloured walls and distinctive Chinese roof, Fo Guang Shan temple, the largest Chinese style Buddhist temple in Europe. The Chinese New Year celebrations are held from 19 to 21 Feb, 2015, featuring traditional Dragon-and-lions dances and fireworks.
Zhuoling Liao
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The Bertha von Suttner Building
Bertha von Suttner Access volunteers regularly visit the office in the Laan van Meerdevoort . Many are not aware of the name of the building and the story behind that name. The Access office address is Laan von Meerdevoort 70. This is an instantly forgettable address and all of us have trouble in remembering it. Our office building however has another name. It is the "Bertha von Suttner " building. Who was Bertha von Suttner ? All over Europe you will find streets and buildings named after her and yet many do not know her story. Bertha von Suttner, an Austrian, was the first woman to win the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE in 1905, and she campaigned for and attended the opening of The Hague Peace Palace in 1913, just around the corner from the Access offices in 1913. She lived mainly during the Victorian period from 1843 until her death in 1914. During this period there were many wars; it was the age of empire, and the consequences of these conflicts led Bertha to write and campaign for peace. In 1889 she wrote a best-selling book titled "Lay Down Your Arms". She was probably the first person to write a novel about the grim reality of war instead of the usual heroic viewpoint taken by traditional war stories and reports. Bertha von Suttner was not taken seriously by most of the establishment, particularly in her own country. Wealthy philanthropists such as Andrew Carnegie and Alfred Nobel, however, recognised that she deserved support and gave her their backing. She became the founder of the German Peace Society, lobbying constantly against war and became a leading internationally accepted pacifist campaigning successfully for the establishment of the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Unfortunately her efforts were channelled by others mainly into establishing rules and conventions for war and not to actually prevent war. Ironically the most awful war in world history broke out just a few months after the establishment of the peace palace and just a few weeks after her death. An example of her efforts to galvanise women to stand up for peace is evident in the quotation below. "The half of humanity that have never borne arms is today ready to struggle to make the brotherhood of man a reality. Perhaps the universal sisterhood is necessary before the universal brotherhood is possible" As you enter our offices, please look at her image next to the entrance and reflect on the efforts of a very active woman, long before emancipation.
David Sanders
8 ďƒ§ ACCESS for & by volunteers ďƒ§ February 2015
6 Things you didn’t know about…Great Britain
Here are six things that you may or may not know about Britain. 1. The United Kingdom (UK) is made up of Great Britain (which is the land mass of 229,848 km² comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales) and in addition Northern Ireland (13,438 km2). The Republic of Ireland is a separate state which takes up 5/6 of the land mass of Ireland. With a UK population estimated at over 64 million, Britain is the third most densely populated island in the world.
2. The UK has an “uncodified” constitution. This means that the British constitution is not contained in one single written document, unlike the constitution of the United States of America as an example. It is in fact made up of a number of separate documents which include statutes, court judgments and treaties. Therefore, the British constitution is a “mixed bag” of documents which have been added to over a period of eight hundred years, since the signing of the Magna Carta by King John of England in June 1215. The Magna Carta was the first document to put into writing the principle that the (English) king and his government was not above the law. The British constitution also includes a number of conventions (customs of parliament), which are not even written down! 3. Big Ben is one of the most famous landmarks in London. However did you know that the name “Big Ben” actually refers to the bell and not the clock in The Elizabeth Tower, which stands at the north end of the Houses of Parliament?
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6 things you didn’t know about…Great Britain
4. For many years chicken tikka masala has been the British people’s favourite dish. This dish claims to be have been created in the Shish Mahal restaurant in Glasgow. The owner’s son tells this story – “On a typical dark, wet Glasgow night a bus driver coming off shift came in and ordered a chicken curry. He sent it back to the waiter saying it's dry. At the time Dad had an ulcer and was enjoying a plate of tomato soup. So he said why not put some tomato soup into the curry with some spices. They sent it back to the table and the bus driver absolutely loved it. He and his friends came back again and again and we put it on the menu.” However, in a recent survey on Britain’s eating habits, this Indian inspired dish has been overtaken by Chinese stir-fry as Britain’s favourite meal. Apparently, one in five of the British people eat this simple Cantonese dish at least once a week. 5. The UK may not be perceived as particularly vocal in promoting renewable energy. However, Britain is the windiest country in Europe, with its west coast particularly susceptible to high energy giving winds from the Atlantic Ocean. Hence, the UK has invested heavily in wind power and is now the largest generator of energy from offshore wind farms in the world. The wind farms provide approximately 8 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually, which is equivalent to the electricity consumption of around 2 million homes. 6. Although Britain is a north European country, it has 116 wineries and produces on average more than 1.6 million bottles of white wine and almost 400,000 bottles of red wine per year. Whilst it is probably true that Britain’s red wines will never compete with the best from Europe or the rest of the world, English and Welsh wine producers are creating a reputation for producing high quality white and rosé sparkling wines. Indeed, at the 2014 International Wine Challenge event the English producer Camel Valley, which is located in the West of England, won an unprecedented two gold, one silver and two bronze medals for its wines and was in direct competition with the more famous Champagne houses. David Standing 10 ACCESS for & by volunteers February 2015
Departmental News
THD – Magdalini Zografou Eight new Helpdesk volunteers joined the team in January: Jackson, Zhouling, Olivia, Marta, Nesreen, Niti, Cindy, Maria Laura. We had two presentations at the December Helpdesk meeting: Kathleen Sheridan gave a presentation about ACCESS Cancerlink. Dora Lucia Neves, ACCESS CED trainer, movement practitioner and massage therapist gave a presentation about her work. LVM70 Helpdesk - We added a new field on ZOHO named “Source of information” which includes DAISY, ACCESS Guides, ACCESS Website, The Hague website etc. in order to track which sources of information are most frequently used by HD officers when replying to clients’ queries. The Email Quality Check procedure was updated to include the possibility of sending a second reply to a client in the rare cases when the query was very serious and the initial HD reply was insufficient/incomplete. To be sent only by members of the email quality check team. Antonio has worked tirelessly to ensure 100% coverage of the LvM Helpdesk and finding buddies for the new volunteers. Thanks Antonio. The Hague International Centre - The start of the year has been busy for THIC with a lot of newcomers to The Hague. More volunteers planned to join the THIC team as a couple volunteers left THIC in December/January. As always, Annelies and the THIC volunteers have ensured that we achieved 100% coverage of the THIC ROTA. Thank you to Annelies and the team. THD Training - Thanks to Nuria and the THD training team for organising the training sessions for the new volunteers and to all HD volunteers who have been buddies at Helpdesk.
OAD / Office Manager – Qin CEB (Bintou and Maria) Amsterdam: Feb-March course in total 17 couples confirmed and paid. Utrecht: Feb course in total 2 couples confirmed and paid (but still waiting for confirmation which should arrive tomorrow). The Hague: January-February: 10 couples February-March: 11 couples confirmed April-May: 5 couples registered Sunday course (Feb 1):2 couples confirmed so far Rotterdam: January-February: 2 couples March: no registration yet 11 ACCESS for & by volunteers February 2015
Departmental News
Welcome to The Hague – The registration for 30 March edition has started, John P will prepare an online registration form to help save time and make the task of collecting stats easy. Changes within VRD team – Neha is leaving ACCESS/ the NL due to relocation as from February, Miloslava left ACCESS mid January due to employment, John F has agreed to step up and take on the position as VRD Manager with immediate effect. Thank you and welcome John ;-) we are looking for more volunteers to join the team ASAP.
CSN – John Pellet The website stats for December 2014 are as follows: 26,799 Visits 15,119 Unique Visitors (compared to 18,034 in November, a drop) 43.58 % Returning Visitors 00:05:27 Ave Time on Site
VRD – John Fields Information Morning - The information morning scheduled for 7 January resulted in the recruitment of 8 new volunteers. The next information morning will be held on Wednesday 11 February 2015. Social Events - The ACCESS Christmas Pot Luck lunch was held on 19 December with a great turnout. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time with fantastic dishes, an “International Christmas Trivia Game”, and the sharing of “Secret Santa” gifts. We also presented the Volunteer of the Month Certificate to Madhavi Ajgaonkar-Mistry for her continued motivation and commitment to ACCESS. The first ACCESS Social Event of 2015 was the Pot Luck Lunch on 22 January which was very well attended and a great success. Jennifer Glaese was recognized for her dedication and commitment to the CSN as the ACCESS Volunteer of the Month for January. The next Social Event will be a cocktail party on 10 February. Free Tickets For Events - We have been offered free tickets for ACCESS volunteers for several events from our partners and advertisers. Free tickets were received for: STET: “The Three Little Pigs”, Winner: Caitriona Rush ABC: “Writers & Bloggers Workshop”, No requests for tickets received. Royal Concert: “Smooth Easy Jazz Party”, Winner: Barbara Bacciucchi Gary Shaprio: “The Dark Room”, Winners: Arto Solajarvi, Qin Cai VRD Statistics as of 31 January 2015 Total Volunteers as of this month - including CED/CEB/CSN: 133, Net gain of 1 from 30 November 2014 Number of volunteers who left during the month: 3 Number of Volunteer nationalities as of this month: 33
CSN – Brenda Couture Vanessa Prins-Goodman joined CSN which makes 20 active members again.
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Departmental News
Communications – Christopher an-Traumer Since the start of the new year, the communications department has been working more closely with the new Events Coordinator, Madhavi, to ensure that the planning and execution of ACCESS' external communications strategy is consistent. The theme for the upcoming Spring 2015 e-zine is EARTH, one of the four classical elements. While we are slightly behind schedule due to the winter holidays, but we have been working hard to make up for that. The filming stage of the ACCESS promotional video is finished and the students from InHolland University of Applied Sciences are busy editing and putting final touches on their work to submit as part of their audiovisual (AV) course. The students recently expressed their satisfaction in working with on this practical exercise. Agenda - Department Boards & Trello - Ways we can facilitate internal communications & handover of work when there is a change in staff.
IRD – Heiner Pierenkemper Partners - Updates are being made regularly as usual. Team – Brid, Renata and Roland will join the IRD team. The training on DAISY took place on January 26th. Updating DAISY – Records were modified, updated and added as usual. As the team is growing it will be important to meet the commitments everybody made towards ACCESS and also work together in groups. In general more structure has to be given to the department. These matters will be discussed in the next IRD Team-meeting on February 6th. Ongoing and new projects and activities -
Expanding DAISY Utrecht entries Updating data New entries
FIN – David Sanders Workload - The bookkeeping is up to date, but there has been no resource for filing and other project work. Activities - We would like to thank other departments such as FND, CED, CSN, and CEB for their help in providing information needed to issue contribution notes for 2015 membership fees and for tidying up some loose ends on 2014 open items. As a result of this many 2015 fees have already been settled.
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Vacancies - February
ACCESS OPEN VACANCIES - FEBRUARY Communications Department Editor The editor is responsible for managing editors, writers and contributors to the ACCESS e-zine. This person works to develop each issue’s editorial, working with the writers and editorial staff to finalise specific stories, angles and sources. The editor may or may not write articles, but reviews all articles for content before they are published. The editor contacts all editors, writers and advertising staff before material is due to ensure they are on schedule. Requirements: - Excellent written English, including good spelling and grammar - Meticulous approach to their work and an eye for detail - Ability to maintain high-quality work while meeting deadlines - Love of and feel for language
Email Marketing Specialist - Mail Chimp The Email Marketing Specialist is responsible for hands-on execution of email marketing efforts in support of the Communications Department objectives. This includes the maintenance, editing, and creation of email marketing campaigns. Additionally, this individual maintains a current understanding of email marketing best practices and applies them to the execution of our email campaigns.
Marketing Coordinator The Marketing Coordinator is responsible for hands-on execution of email & other marketing efforts in support of the Communications Department objectives. This includes the maintenance, editing, and creation of email marketing campaigns. Additionally, this individual maintains a current understanding of email marketing best practices and applies them to the execution of our email campaigns. Knowledge of Mailchimp preferable, but not an absolute must.
Social Media Coordinator (to assist Matt Rees) The ACCESS Social Media Coordinator is responsible for implementing the social media strategy with the goal of developing awareness, increasing engagement, generating website traffic and encouraging participation across social media channels – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google +.
Communications Co-Manager The ACCESS Communications Co-Manager is responsible for: • Managing a team of writers, editors and contributors to the ACCESS Publications: ACCESS e-zine, website, guides and social media accounts. • Coordinating request for ACCESS advertisement/appearance in the media. • Designing/coordinating production of ACCESS templates.
Contact Christopher: communications@access-nl.org For all positions: You must be a self starter, self motivator, computer literate and driven by initiative and creativity.
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Vacancies - February
Information Research Deparment Information Researcher (IRD Team Member) The information and research team member searches, records and updates information in the database (DAISY). Requirements: - Ability to read, write and summarise information in English(Good knowledge of the English language is advised) - Ability to use initiative - Ability to work independently - Ability to support other team members Tasks: - To read, write and summarise information - To research and record all new information according to set procedure - To delete all irrelevant information according to set procedure - To check information which is not complete or not clear (by using Internet) - To ensure information is kept up to date - To assist with transferring information coming from other departments to the computer, if necessary (includes updating, creating or deleting information) Commitment: A minimum of 1 day per week (6 hours), if the team member is only involved with IRD OR A minimum of 1 half day per week (3 hours), if the team member is also involved with another department Current projects: - Recording and updating information - Expanding DAISY The goal is to improve the quality of the DAISY database and make it more global. Should you interested contact IRD Manager Heiner - ird@accesss-nl.org
Cancer Support Admin/Promoter 6-10 hours per month, so could be combined with another function within ACCESS. Includes the following responsibilities: Maintaining awareness of Cancerlink within ACCESS- checking supply of publicity material, ensuring distribution at key events, checking posting of events/news on website & social media Identifying key contacts in cancer centres, schools, social clubs and maintaining/updating mailing list Helping with admin-attending monthly meetings and writing, distributing minutes Helping with organising and publicizing workshops. Should you interested contact Cancerlink Co-ordinator Aine Campbell: ainecamp@hotmail.com
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Vacancies - February
Project Department PowerPoint Presentation for The Hague Do you live in these expats neighbourhoods in The Hague? – Statenkwartier, Bezuidenhout, Benoordenhout, Scheveningen, Valkenbos Kwartier, Kijkduin, Centre (around Buurtschap, Dennenweg and Zeehelden Kwartier), if you do, and would like to share your local knowledge with fellow ACCESS colleagues, and work together in preparing this presentation for other international new arrivals, then this is the opportunity for you! We would really appreciate the participation from all of you. Please send your comments to, or contact Qin: manager@access-nl.org, or ask Qin directly for more details. We are making progress with this project, but we need more help! – Please offer your knowledge and tips in helping making the PowerPoint presentations, we can help provide you with a photographer to take pictures. It is fun to work on this project ;-)
NOTE: New volunteers must finish the probationary month before applying for any vacancy.
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Volunteer of the month
CONGRATULATIONS TO:
Volunteer of the Month The Management Team on behalf of ACCESS would like to thank you for your continued commitment and everything you do for helping with the international community in the Netherlands. Your contributions of time, dedication, hard-work and talent ensure the continued success in fulfilling the mission, vision and goals of ACCESS.
You made the difference!! The Volunteer of the month award for February 2015 goes to:
INGRID VAN RHIJN It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Ingrid with the ACCESS Volunteer of the month for February 2015 "Ingrid has been a dedicated and capable member of THD for almost two years. Her work on THD, either as a trainer for the Helpdesk, or as an officer for HD and now THIC has been exemplary. She always strives to do her best for the clients and the organization, and she is responsible, trustworthy and a good colleague. Congratulations Ingrid!" - Magdalini Zografou “Ingrid is a Dutch woman who has 'het hart op de tong'. It's clear what is on her mind. She has been active at THIC since last year and likes it very much. She is more than interested in what is going on at THIC. Take the time to speak with Ingrid and you know who she really is.” - Annelies Ras
Congratulations Ingrid!
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Congratulations Hima!
Volunteer of the Month
Nuria has these lovely words, expressed very creatively, to say about Ingrid, but I couldn’t fit them on the certificate! So here they are –
Ingrid Van Rhijn Who is she? She is someone…
Important for ACCESS and for us Natural Gentle Rare, unique Intelligent and Dynamic I like her because she is very direct and doesn´t doubt when she has to express her opinion. I think she is a strong woman with clear ideas about what she wants or does. She is perfect as a colleague and as a trainer: a person able to multitask, committed to her work, responsible, very professional and kind. A proof of this is that she works for two departments and even then she is always available to do whatever is needed whenever it is needed. I feel lucky when I think that she is part of the training team. On top of this I would like to say that she is a very good person in whom you can trust when you need to talk and the perfect person if you want to laugh. Congratulations INGRID!!!!
Nuria Garcia
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Volunteer Feature
Hello everyone! I'm Renata Tuinenburg - Almeida de Queiroz (quite a long surname, uh?), a Carioca (means: from Rio de Janeiro city) living in the Netherlands for 12 years. When I was asked to talk a bit about me I almost said “no way!” Talking about me always feels a bit awkward, but I am going to give it a try. I was born and brought up in Rio de Janeiro, a city I love and really miss sometimes, especially when I have to face the Dutch winter months. My childhood and teenager years were the best: I loved to go to the beach, visit the museums and go to the movies. I also loved to swim and even got some medals (no Olympic dream, though). I have a Bachelor degree in Oceanography, but unfortunately this dream did not quite go the way I wanted it to: field work amongst the whales and dolphins, just like Jacques Cousteau once did. Back then, I did not have the financial means or the right “mind set” to go for the whole 9 yards of Master and Doctor degrees. Instead, I decided to work to pay the bills: I got a job as Hostess in the Sheraton Hotel and there I met my husband, a Dutchman who convinced me to leave my whole life behind and start a new adventure overseas, in the Netherlands. It was a very interesting and funny “karma will get you” situation: long time ago, during a Geology class in which the subject was Isostasy (theory describing the mass balance on the Earth's crust), I clearly remember having said that I did not care that the Netherlands would eventually sink because “well, I will never live there anyway”. Since I came to live in the Netherlands, I have experienced different phases of the well known “love and hate” relationship with the Dutch country and its way of living. People are not so warm and open; the cultural customs can be quite odd in the eyes of a Brazilian (especially the birthday parties); the health system was a bit of a mess (if you pay, you expect to have good services). As for me, I moved from a huge cosmopolitan city to a small “village” (Gouda), and it was quite a shock: the shops were closed on Sundays and only opened for business at one o'clock on Mondays. Aaargh! Nevertheless I enjoyed every new experience, even the cold winters. My first months here were filled with visits to excellent museums, sound naps on the couch (I did not realise how stressed I was), biking, and the time consuming “inburgeringscursus” (integration course), which was mandatory. I have even worked as post deliverer, which was a nice way to meet people. Now, after all these years, I am quite integrated and I can say that I love (and sometimes hate) this “kikkerlandje” where my daughter was born and where I have made lovely friends. Netherlands has entered my heart and found a cosy place there. Netherlands is my Home now and I am happy here. Greetings, Renata.
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Your fellow Volunteers
JOIN ‘ACCESS VOLUNTEERS’ GROUP ON WE HAD TO SAY GOODBYE TO:
Michael Eerens WE WELCOME:
Christine Fischer Nesreen Saad, Zhuoling Liao, Martha Alvarado Ruiz, Olivia Ramaget, Cindy Willems, Falguni Kothari, Maria Laura Molina, Niti Gupta, Jackson Muriel
A Facebook group for ACCESS volunteers has been created, it is called ‘ACCESS volunteers’, search for it (ACCESS in uppercase!) or use below link. Please do join!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! February Birthdays 3rd 4th 9th 13th 17th 25th 27th
Idowu (lola) FunmiAdeshina Rashmi Vinod Sylvia Kiwanuka, Miroslava Semagina, Peter Paffrath, Ingrid van Rhijn, Joyce Bergsma
ACCESS social media
www.facebook.com/groups/308062515897693
ACCESS Information Morning: The next Information morning will be held on Wednesday 11th February 2015. All potential volunteers must first contact VRD before attending the information morning. Enquiries about volunteering should be forwarded to vrd@access-nl.org ACCESS EVENTS in February: Cocktails! 10th February, Café Leopold, Plein 17, Den Haag. The ACCESS Pot Luck on 22nd January was wonderful – great food, great conversation and a great way to start the New Year together.
Event Ticket Winners: Congratulations to those who won tickets for recent events: Arto Salojarvi (“The Dark Room”), Caitriona Rush (“Three Little Pigs”), Qin Cai (“The Dark Room”), and Barbara Baccuicchi (“Smooth Easy Jazz Party”) 20 ACCESS for & by volunteers February 2015
What’s on in February
Art Rotterdam Emerging talents and the latest developments in visual art gather at Rotterdam’s international art fair: Art Rotterdam. Seventy international galleries, selected on the basis of quality and originality, present their most talented artists to you. The official side fair of Art Rotterdam is Object Rotterdam. This international fair is the first in the world that focuses exclusively on autonomous design and the most current developments within it. Art Rotterdam attracts (inter)national designers, architects, artists and many interested visitors. You’ll see an interesting mixture of video art, performances, design, drawings, paintings, sculptures and site specific installations! http://www.artrotterdam.com/users/128/content/home/index.html Where: Rotterdam When: February 5th to February 8th 2015
Mahabharata - The College Edition Stories from Indian mythology are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for artists. The epic Mahabharata is the world’s second largest literary work and in its most elaborate version approximately four times as long as the Bible. Famous director Peter Brook created an iconic stage play and a movie based on this epic. The Mahabharata possesses next to a wonderful story, a great philosophic depth and a rich spiritual tradition. It focuses on man’s four main life-goals: Kama (desire), Artha (wealth), Dharma (spirituality), and ends in the ultimate of human goals, Moksha (liberation). As is with this epic, many stories in India still function as a moral compass concerning behaviour; the protagonists as role models. A Super Lecture about great stories that in our time still function as a mirror for current social dilemmas. http://cadance.nl/en/productions/arrangement-7-mahabharata-college-edition Where: The Hague When: January 30th to February 15th 2015
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament Rotterdam is home to one of the world’s biggest indoor tennis tournaments: the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. Each year the tournament attracts thousands of tennis fans who want to see the best tennis players in the world in action. You won’t just see the tennis players on the court, some will also participate in a series of surprise activities that take place amid the bars, terraces and shops. There’s even time to shop for fashion, sportswear, tennis accessories and luxury items at the shopping promenade. If you like tennis, you should definitely visit the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. It’s the biggest tennis event in Holland, with plenty of action on and off the court. Book your tickets for the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. http://www.abnamrowtt.com/ Where: Rotterdam When: February 9th to February 15th 2015
21 ACCESS for & by volunteers February 2015
What’s on in February
Delft Blues Festival In February, the blues will once again reign in Delft during De Koninck Blues Festival Delft 2015. On Friday February 20th and Saturday February 21st the festival continues with over 50 live performances in 30 participating cafés. The festival is sure to deliver the best intimate blues performances. In addition to the many performances, there will also be a variety of ‘specials’. These specials differ from a harmonica workshop to a blues quiz on Sunday. Entrance to any of the live performances is of course free of charge. You can find the entire program and the latest news on this website from January. You can also find various hotel arrangements to make your stay during the Blues Festival in the historic centre of Delft even more enjoyable. Blues lovers should keep February 20th and 21st available in order to visit this fantastic event! There is certainly no better place to be during this Blues weekend. http://www.delftblues.nl/page11012/english Where: Delft When: February 20th to February 21st 2015
Chinese New Year For more information about celebrations in the Hague see http://denhaag.com/en/event/19976/chinese-new-year-festival?eventId=19979 Where: Chinatown in The Hague & Amsterdam When: February 21st 2015
The Frick Collection - Art Treasures from New York The Frick Collection is beautifully situated in the heart of New York, with a view on Central Park. It is a cherished museum, famous for the high quality of its collection. This spring, for the first time, The Frick Collection is lending a large part of its world-class collection: no fewer than 36 masterpieces can be admired at the Mauritshuis starting 5 February. The exhibition includes work by artists otherwise not or barely represented in Dutch museum collections, such as Cimabue, Van Eyck, Gainsborough, Constable, and Ingres. http://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/discover/tentoonstellingen/the-frick-collection-art-treasures-from-newyork/ Where: The Hague When: February 5th to May 10th 2015
Late Rembrandt exhibition For the first time, the Rijksmuseum is presenting a grand overview of the late works of Rembrandt van Rijn. Visit the unique landmark exhibition ‘Late Rembrandt’ between 12 February and 17 May 2015. This landmark exhibition, the world’s largest ever, brings together more than 90 paintings, drawings and prints from the world’s leading museums and private collections to showcase Rembrandt at the height of his power. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/late-rembrandt Where: Amsterdam When: February 12th to May 17th 2015
Thank you Hima for compiling the What’s On each month. 22 ACCESS for & by volunteers February 2015
Other activities that ACCESS Volunteers do when not working for ACCESS
Aromatherapist You can always contact Bernadette Davis for your own personal blend of oils tel: 070 4060389.
nuriagsaorin@gmail.com
(+31) 0681 49 46 66
Anne Craig English English teacher, editor and proofreader annecraig69@gmail.com/annecraigenglish @gmail.com (+31) 0617930645
-Thank you to all the contributors to the February Newsletter-
23 ďƒ§ ACCESS for & by volunteers ďƒ§ February 2015